Posted on March 13, 2019
I’m for Ilhan Omar. She’s got guts. And, to put it more elegantly, she has the right to call herself a Kantian. She’s earned that right.
Tell me more, you say. Immanuel Kant, German Philosopher ( 1724-1804 ) defined an “enlightened person” as someone who has the “courage to use their own understanding without the guidance of another.” In other words, someone who refuses to be silenced and suffocated by the Conventional Wisdom.
Am I a student of Kant, you ask. A little…very little.
I did spend a little time on Kant in college. I was mostly absent or hung over at the time. (You know the Irish.) Plus, a few years ago I was in Paris and I met a young man of the Jewish persuasion who was studying Philosophy at the Sorbonne. ( You know the Jews.) I asked him if he had read Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. He reached into his backpack, pulled out a book with that title, and said…”you mean this.”
Got my attention. Did a little more reading. Got to keep up.
My student friend was studying a philosopher named Gilles Deleuze who drew heavily on Kant. A little checking around and I found that Henry Kissinger’s Senior Honors Thesis at Harvard entitled, The Meaning of History, drew heavily on the Philosophy of Kant. Kissinger’s thesis was 386 pages long and caused Harvard to adopt what became known as the “Kissinger Rule” which sets a limit of 100 pages on current Senior theses. Henry and I don’t spend a lot of time chatting each other up, but my guess is he wouldn’t be the least bit threatened or offended by Ilhan Omar.
Kant was a quintessential realist. In his view, the future of mankind is in the hands of individuals willing to think independently and take responsibility for themselves and those dependent upon them regardless of the disapproval, and possible danger, from those who hold power and manufacture the conventional wisdom. By the way, the conventional wisdom is manufactured…you’re either involved in that process or you’re a victim of it. If you don’t know anything else, know that.
Not wanting to get ahead of my self, but our friend Ilhan intuitively saw what was happening and decided to take a shot at the Conventional Wisdom Manufacture Game…why not, looks like fun. If she got a word or two upside down, relax, it wasn’t that long ago that she was sleeping on the ground in a refugee camp in Kenya.
So, what did Rep. Omar do to bring upon herself the charge of a “trafficker in anti-semitic tropes.” Continue Reading……
Sir: I disagree with you. Ilhan Omar is a clear and present danger to the constitution and laws of the United States. She should be stripped of Committee assignments and expelled from Congress. SEE:
https://vimeo.com/324000602
Ashton O’Dwyer.
I can see why you’d want Rep. Omar out of Congress. She had neocon Elliott Abrams choking like a dog in her first opportunity to question a witness before the Foreign Relations Committee.
I’m guessing you don’t feel strongly enough to hit the streets and organize to get rid of Omar. If you do,
I’ll take the other side. Haven’t done that since my Impeach Nixon Days…had a lot of fun.
I’ve got a better idea. Let’s get together and support giving the money we give to Israel every year to Ireland instead. Run it by Lana Noonan…if she’s OK with it, who’s going to stop us?
By the way, I like Rory McElroy to win the Masters. This could be a breakout year for him.
Tom, don’t start picking on me just because I was lucky enough to marry an Irishman!!! It’s a blessing not given to every woman!! lol!
I wouldn’t dare pick on you. I might try to get you on my side, now and then. Remember, we got
Kavanaugh confirmed!
I also agree with you, Ashton. By the way, she is not Kantian. It is just that her conventional wisdom comes from another culture so it is not conventional to Callaghan. He is right about one thing, he should read more and catch up.
Omar is a threat to the country. The leftists don’t realize that she and her ilk are also a threat to them. They think an enemy of their enemy is a friend. If Omar got what she wanted the leftists would be in a world of hurt- sharia.
Ashton, you have my agreement.